Apparatus and method for monitoring certificate acquisition

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top-box (STB) having a controller to transmit a request to a remote management server for status information associated with a x.509 certificate intended for the STB, wherein at least one of the STB and the remote management server operate in an interactive television (iTV) network, and receive the status information associated with the x.509 certificate from the remote management server, wherein events associated with the status information are received by the remote management server from at least one of the STB, a certificates proxy, an external certificate web service, and a certificate authority, and wherein the status information comprises at least a portion of the received events. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to monitoring and alertingservices and more specifically to an apparatus and method for monitoringcertificate acquisition.

BACKGROUND

The Internet and other networks have provided users with the ability toexchange information, data, and content in a rapid and efficient manner.However, it is important for such users to be able to exchange suchinformation securely and privately. The use of digital certificates canfoster such secure and private exchanges. Digital certificates canutilize digital signatures to bind together a public key with aparticular identity and can serve as means to verify that the public keybelongs to a particular individual/identity. In public keyinfrastructures (PKIs), the digital signature can be of a certificateauthority (CA), which can issue the digital certificates that containthe public key, the identity of the owner, and other relevantinformation. Enabling customization of certificate acquisition settingscan provide increased functionality and monitoring certificateacquisitions can provide relevant status information regarding aparticular certificate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-2 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal interacting withthe communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system for monitoringcertificate acquisition, which can operate in portions of thecommunications systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary application screen for customizingcertificate acquisition settings;

FIG. 7 depicts an application for requesting a status report forcertificate acquisition for a given media device;

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary remote control device for accessing anapplication for viewing the status relating to certificate acquisition;

FIG. 9 depicts an application screen for a service provider forselecting certificate acquisition status options;

FIG. 10 depicts an application screen showing status information forcertificate acquisition for a given media device;

FIG. 11 depicts certificate acquisition status information for an entiremarket area;

FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method for monitoringcertificate acquisition, which is operable in portions of thecommunication systems of FIGS. 1-2 and FIG. 5; and

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a set-top-box (STB)having a controller to transmit a request to a remote management serverfor status information associated with a x.509 certificate intended forthe STB, wherein at least one of the STB and the remote managementserver (RMS) operate in an interactive television (iTV) network, andreceive the status information associated with the x.509 certificatefrom the RMS, wherein events associated with the status information arereceived by the RMS from at least one of the STB, a certificates proxy,an external certificate web service, and a certificate authority, andwherein the status information comprises at least a portion of thereceived events.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a methodincluding receiving a request from a computing device for statusinformation associated with a digital certificate intended for thecomputing device, wherein the computing devices is in communication withan interactive television (iTV) network, receiving events from at leastone of a certificates proxy, an external certificate web service, acertificate authority, and the computing device, wherein the statusinformation is associated with at least one of the received events, andtransmitting the status information associated with the digitalcertificate to the computing device in response to the request, whereinthe status information is presented at the computing device.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail acomputer-readable storage medium having computer instructions toestablish certificate acquisition settings associated with a digitalcertificate intended for a computing device, transmit a request for thedigital certificate based on the certificate acquisition settings,transmit a request to a server for status information associated withacquisition of the digital certificate, wherein events associated withthe status information are received by the server from a plurality ofsources, and wherein the status information comprises at least a portionof the received events, and receiving the status information associatedwith acquisition of the digital certificate from the server.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) broadcast mediasystem. The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO)110 with at least one super headend office server (SHS) 111 whichreceives media content from satellite and/or terrestrial communicationsystems. In the present context, media content can represent audiocontent, moving image content such as videos, still image content, orcombinations thereof. The SHS server 111 can forward packets associatedwith the media content to video head-end servers (VHS) 114 via a networkof video head-end offices (VHO) 112 according to a common multicastcommunication protocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast programs via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a common residential or commercial gateway). Theaccess network 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a servicearea interface that provide broadband services over optical links orcopper twisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommon communication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote control).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered interface technologies (such as coaxial or phone linewiring) or can operate over a common wireless access protocol. Withthese interfaces, unicast communications can be invoked between themedia processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTV media system forservices such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130 a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or wirelesscommunication devices 116 by way of a wireless access base station 117operating according to common wireless access protocols such as WirelessFidelity (WiFi), or cellular communication technologies (such as GSM,CDMA, UMTS, WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, and so on).

The first communication system 100 can also include a certificateauthority 135. The certificate authority 135 can be a server, processor,or other similar device capable of performing processing operations. Thecertificate authority 135 can be configured to be operably coupled toISP network 132, and iTV network, and to any of the devices in thesystem 100. Notably, the certificate authority 135 can be configured toissue digital certificates including, but not limited to, digitalcertificates which conform to the x.509 ITU-T standard for public keyinfrastructures (PKI). In operation, the certificate authority 135 canissue digital certificates which can include a public key and theidentity and/or identification information associated with an owner ofthe identity/identification information.

Devices in the system 100, such as the STBs 106, can transmit requestsfor digital certificates, which can be relayed to the certificateauthority 135, when attempting to access an application, web site, orportal. The certificate authority 135 can sign the requested digitalcertificate and verify the credentials of the owner, so that requestingdevices can trust the information in the certificates provided by thecertificate authority 135. The certificate authority 135 can thentransmit the signed certificate to the requesting devices and to theapplication, website, or portal so as to enable the requesting devicesand the application, web site, or portal to securely communicate witheach other.

Additionally, the devices in the system 100 can be configured totransmit requests for information pertaining to the acquisition of thecertificate. Also, customization settings can be set with regards to theacquisition of the digital certificates. For example, STB 106 canestablish settings which determine when a certificate is to bedelivered, when to retransmit a certificate, when a certificate expires,if the certificate is actually delivered, when a certificate is revoked,and other settings associated with acquiring a digital certificate.

Another distinct portion of the computing devices 130 can function as aRMS (herein referred to as RMS 130). The RMS 130 can use commoncomputing and communication technology to perform the function ofprocessing, managing, and storing information received from variousdevices in the system 100. The RMS 130 can be operably coupled to an iTVnetwork and can be configured to receive and maintain certificateacquisition settings and events from other devices in the system 100relating to digital certificate acquisitions. For example, the RMS 130can receive information from external certificate web services, STBs,certificate proxies, and certificate authorities. Additionally, the RMS130 can be configured to display the events and other informationassociated with digital certificate acquisitions to other devices in thesystem 100.

It will be appreciated by an artisan of ordinary skill in the art that asatellite broadcast television system can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system. In this embodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115supplying media content can be intercepted by a common satellite dishreceiver 131 coupled to the building 102. Modulated signals interceptedby the satellite dish receiver 131 can be submitted to the mediaprocessors 106 for generating broadcast channels which can be presentedat the media devices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped witha broadband port to the ISP network 132 to enable infrastructureservices such as VoD and EPG described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital broadcast distributionsystem such as cable TV system 133 can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system described above. In this embodiment the cable TV system 133can provide Internet, telephony, and interactive media services.

It follows from the above illustrations that the present disclosure canapply to any present or future interactive over-the-air or landlinemedia content services.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 200.employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 200 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith communication system 100 as another representative embodiment ofcommunication system 100.

Communication system 200 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)240, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 230, and other commonnetwork elements of an IMS network 250. The IMS network 250 canestablish communications between IMS compliant communication devices(CD) 201, 202, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 203, 205,and combinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function(MGCF) 220 coupled to a PSTN network 260.

IMS CDs 201, 202 can register with the IMS network 250 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with acorresponding Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with at the HSS240. To initiate a communication session between CDs, an originating IMSCD 201 can submit a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message toan originating P-CSCF 204 which communicates with a correspondingoriginating S-CSCF 206. The originating S-CSCF 206 can submit queries tothe ENUM system 230 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIPINVITE to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS compliant.

The SIP URI can be used by an Interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 207 to submita query to the HSS 240 to identify a terminating S-CSCF 214 associatedwith a terminating IMS CD such as reference 202. Once identified, theI-CSCF 207 can submit the SIP INVITE to the terminating S-CSCF 214. Theterminating S-CSCF 214 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 216associated with the terminating CD 202. The P-CSCF 216 then signals theCD 202 to establish communications.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such asreferences 203 or 205, the ENUM system 230 can respond with anunsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originating S-CSCF206 to forward the call to the MGCF 220 via a Breakout Gateway ControlFunction (BGCF) 219. The MGCF 220 can then initiate the call to theterminating PSTN CD by common means over the PSTN network 260.

The aforementioned communication process is symmetrical. Accordingly,the terms “originating” and “terminating” in FIG. 2 are interchangeable.It is further noted that communication system 200 can be adapted tosupport video conferencing by way of common protocols such as H.323. Inaddition, communication system 200 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs201, 203 the multimedia and Internet services of communication system100.

The RMS 130 of FIG. 1 can be operably coupled to the secondcommunication system 200 for purposes similar to those described above.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal 302 which canoperate from the computing devices 130 described earlier ofcommunication 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The portal 302 can be used formanaging services of communication systems 100-200. The portal 302 canbe accessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with a common Internetbrowser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer™ using an Internet-capablecommunication device such as those described for FIGS. 1-2. The portal302 can be configured, for example, to access a media processor 106 andservices managed thereby such as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a VoDcatalog, an EPG, a personal catalog (such as personal videos, pictures,audio recordings, etc.) stored in the media processor, provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication device 400 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the communication devices of FIGS. 1-2. Thecommunication device 400 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a user interface (UI) 404, apower supply 414, a location receiver 416, and a controller 406 formanaging operations thereof. The transceiver 402 can support short-rangeor long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi,Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellularcommunication technologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologiescan include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE,EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, and next generation cellular wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 402 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCPIP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, joystick, mouse, ornavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 400 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 408 canrepresent a numeric dialing keypad commonly used by phones, and/or aQwerty keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include adisplay 410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technologyfor conveying images to an end user of the communication device 400. Inan embodiment where the display 410 is touch-sensitive, a portion or allof the keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 412 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 412 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 404 can further include an image sensor 413 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. The location receiver 416 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver for identifying a location of the communication device400 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites,thereby facilitating common location services such as navigation.

The communication device 400 can use the transceiver 402 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi or Bluetooth access point bycommon power sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA) or timeof flight (TOF). The controller 406 can utilize computing technologiessuch as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and/or avideo processor with associated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM,SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 400 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, as well as the IMS CDs 201-202 andPSTN CDs 203-205 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 400 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1-2 such as agaming console and a media player.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 500 for monitoringcertificate acquisition, the system 500 operable in portions of thecommunication systems of FIGS. 1-2. The devices in the system 500 can beconfigured to operate in an iTV network. The iTV network can includeinteractive cable television, IPTV, and interactive satellitetelevision. The system 500 can include a user 502 and one or moretechnicians 504 a-b. Technician 504 a can be at or near the user 502'sresidence and technician 504 b can be located at or near a serviceprovider utilized by and/or associated with the user 502. The user 502can utilize a remote control device 506, which can be configured toenable the user to access and interact with STB 508. STB 508 can beconfigured to display media content and a graphical user interface (GUI)associated with an iTV application on display device 510. Display device510 can be a monitor, television, or other similar device for viewingmedia and other content.

Technicians 504 a and 504 b can utilize computing devices 512 a and 512b. The computing devices 512 a and 512 b can, for example, be a laptopcomputer, a personal computer, a mobile device, a telephone, or otherdevice capable of transmitting and receiving information from thedevices of system 500. The system 500 can also include a residentialgateway 514, which can be operably coupled to the STB 508 and can serveas an interface to IPTV network 516. The IPTV network 516 can includeone or more IPTV customer facing application servers 518, which canserve as a certificate proxy web service. IPTV network 516 can becommunicatively linked to a communications network such as corporatenetwork 520.

Corporate network 520 can include a Real Time Transaction Processor(RTTP) 522 for providing external certificate web services.Additionally, corporate network 520 can be communicatively linked to acertificate authority 524, which can be configured to provide and signdigital certificates, such as those conforming to the x.509 standard forPKIs. The corporate network 520 can further include a RMS 526. The RMS526 can be configured to receive, store, and maintain various eventsfrom the devices in the system 500. The events can be associated with orcan provide status information pertaining to digital certificatestraversing the system 500 and, in particular, digital certificatesintended for STB 508.

Operatively, the user 502 and/or the technicians 504 a-b can set avariety of certificate acquisition settings associated with acquiringdigital certificates from the system 500. The certificate acquisitionsettings can include establishing a timeframe for receiving acertificate, a timeframe for generating a request for acquiring thecertificate, and a timeframe for retrying the request for acquiring thecertificate. Certificate settings can also include any other settingassociated with retrieving the certificate or acquiring informationregarding the certificate. The user 502 can view the certificateacquisition settings on a GUI of an iTV application accessible by theSTB 508.

Referring now also to FIG. 6, an application screen 600 for customizingcertificate acquisition settings. The application 600 features a seriesof use cases listed for when a new digital certificate will be requestedby the STB 508. For each of the use cases different certificateacquisition settings are set, which in this case are timeframes for aninitial request for a digital certificate and timeframes associated withretrying a request for the certificate. For example, for the first usecase, which is directed to initial setup for all devices within aparticular VHO, it will take up to two hours for all digitalcertificates to load. During such a time a user, such as user 502, willnot be able to access an application requiring use of the certificate.If there is a failure, it can take up to six hours before the STB 508and other STBs retry the certificate request. The STB 508 and other STBscan retry indefinitely at random fractions of six hours until it getsthe certificate.

With regard to the second use case, which is directed to certificateacquisition for newly provisioned STBs after the initial certificateacquisition process, it will take up to two hours for all of thecertificates to load. Like the first use case described above, the user502 will not be able to access the application requiring use of thecertificate until the certificate is received. Once the certificate isreceived, there is immediate access to the application. If there is afailure, the STB 508 and other STBs can retry indefinitely at randomfractions of six hours until they get their certificates. However, itcan be, for example, every thirty minutes.

With regard to the third use case, which is for normal operation afterreboot of the STB 508 and after prior successful certificateacquisitions, if there is no failure, a valid certificate can be foundin a user store associated with the user. In such a case, the user canaccess the application requiring the certificate immediately. If thereis a failure, under one scenario, a valid certificate is not found inthe user store. In this case, it can take up to two hours for a newcertificate to be acquired. Under a second failure scenario, a validcertificate is not found in the user store and the certificate requestfailed. In this case, it can take up to six hours for the STB 508 toretry the certificate request. However, as in the previous use case, theretries can be performed every thirty minutes.

The fourth use case is directed to digital certificate expirations. Forexample, a certificate can be valid for a random period between thirteenmonths and two years. The STB 508 continuously checks the expirationtime of its certificate. When the certificate is within one hour ofexpiring, the STB 508 can begin the acquisition process for a newcertificate. If there is no failure, a valid new certificate will beacquired before old certificate expires. In this case, the user 502 canaccess the application requiring the certificate immediately. Under afirst failure scenario, a valid new certificate is not acquired beforethe old certificate expires. During the timeframe between when the oldcertificate expires (after one hour) and the acquisition of the newcertificate (up to two hours), the customer will not be able to accessthe application. Under a second failure scenario, the new certificateacquisition fails after the old certificate expires. In such a case, itcan take up to six hours before the STB 508 retries the certificaterequest.

The fifth use case is directed to certificate revocation and renewal forcompromised certificates due to fraud or to replace certificates duringtroubleshooting. When a STB, such as STB 508, is compromised, thecertificate can be revoked and the certificate can be deleted from theuser store. The user 502 will then be unable to access the applicationrequiring the certificate to communicate. The user 502 will require anew certificate in order to access the application. If there is nofailure and the user 502 is expecting maintenance activity, it can takeup to two hours for a new certificate to be acquired. Once acquired theuser 502 can have immediate access to the application. Under a firstfailure scenario where the user 502 is not expecting maintenanceactivity, it can take up to two hours for a new certificate to beacquired and the customer cannot access the application until thecertificate is acquired. Under a second failure scenario, thecertificate acquisition fails and it can take up to six hours before theSTB 508 retries the certificate request. Notably, the use casesdescribed above serve only as examples and are not intended to serve aslimitations.

The user 502 and/or the technicians 504 a-b can make the STB 508 requesta digital certificate based on the certificate acquisition settings orotherwise. As mentioned above the digital certificate can be acertificate conforming to the x.509 standard or other similar standard.While waiting for the certificate or otherwise, the user 502 and/or thetechnicians 504 a-b, can request status information and/or a statusreport pertaining to the acquisition of the certificate for the STB 508.The status information and/or status report can be received by the STB508 from the RMS 526. Referring now also to FIG. 7, an application 700for requesting a status report for certificate acquisition for a givenmedia device is shown. The application 700 can be used by the user 502,the technicians 504 a-b, and the user 502's service provider. Notably,the screen shown can be accessed via a personal computer basedapplication. The application can enable those that are interested, toview the status of the certificate to see what source the loadedcertificate was obtained from (e.g. <show trusted root>), and to showthe status of the certificate acquisition request from each point in thecertificate acquisition flow.

As mentioned above, the RMS 526 can receive events associated with thestatus of the certificate from various devices in the system 500, suchas RTTP 522, certificate authority 524, the STB 508, and IPTV customerfacing application servers 518. The events, for example, can indicate asocket/connection failure, a malformed response, that the certificatehas been issued, that the certificate was successfully acquired by theSTB, that the certificate is pending, that the certificate is expiring,that the certificate has been revoked, and that an acquisition of thecertificate has failed. Depending on the source transmitting the eventsto the RMS, the events can be from the perspective of the transmittingsource. As shown in FIG. 7, the STB 508 can transmit an event to the RMS526 that indicates that the STB 508 has not acquired the certificate andthat information can be displayed via the application. Similarly, theRTTP 522 (external certificate web service) and the IPTV customer facingapplication servers 518 (certificate proxy web service) can similarlyindicate the status of the certificate from their perspective orotherwise.

As shown in FIG. 7, the RTTP 522 indicated that it requested thecertificate and the IPTV customer facing application servers 518 alsoindicated that the certificate was requested. The certificate authority524, however, showed that there was an error and that it was unable totransmit the certificate to the STB 508. The RMS 526 can store all theevents in a data store and can be configured to display the receivedevents on the application screen. Notably, FIG. 7 also illustrates thatthe user 502 can also perform a manual retry request for the certificateor select a back button to return to a previous screen.

Referring now also to FIG. 8, a remote control device 800 for accessingthe application for viewing the status relating to certificateacquisition is shown. The remote control device 800, which can correlateto remote control device 506 of system 500, can be used by the user 502to access the certificate acquisition status screen from the STB 508 soas to determine the status of the requested digital certificate. Theuser 502 can also use the remote control device 800 to request a retryof the certificate acquisition from the status screen by selecting thetriangle smart key as shown. Of course, the remote control device 800can also be configured to interact in other ways with the status screenof the application.

The technicians 504 a-b can also select certain status acquisitionoptions for various STBs and other media devices. Referring now also toFIG. 9, an application screen 900 for a service provider for selectingcertificate acquisition status options is shown. The technicians 504 a-bcan, for example, select an option to the poll the certificate statusfor an individual STB, such as STB 508. The technicians 504 a-b canenter in a globally unique identifier (GUID) associated with an STB sothat certificate status information associated with the STB can beretrieved and presented to the technicians 504 a-b. Additionally, thetechnicians 504 a-b can be given the option of polling the certificatestatus information for all STBs within an individual household of auser, such as user 502. The technicians can enter in an address so as toretrieve information for all STBs of the user. Furthermore, thetechnicians 504 a-b can be given the option of retrieving certificatestatus information for an entire market area. The technicians 504 a-bcan enter in an identifier for the entire market and can retrieve asummary report pertaining to the certificate acquisition statuses for anentire VHO/market.

Referring now also to FIG. 10, an application screen 1000 showingdetailed status information pertaining to certificate acquisition for anindividual STB is shown. This application screen would be particularlyuseful for the service provider of a user of the STB. For example, thetechnicians 504 a-b can utilize the screen from FIG. 9 to specify aparticular STB with a GUID of ABCD to retrieve certificate acquisitionstatus information for. FIG. 10 can represent the output report once thestatus information is retrieved. As illustrated, the application screen1000 can display the GUID of the STB, the certificate status (in thiscase an x.509 certificate), the certificate authority, the last requestfor the certificate, when the certificate was acquired, when thecertificate expires, and whether or not the certificate was revoked fromthe user.

Referring now also to FIG. 11, an application screen 1100 depictingcertificate acquisition status information for an entire market area, isshown. The application screen 1100 can be accessed by the technicians504 a-b and can include city associated with a market area, thecertificate authority responsible for the market area, the percentage ofsuccessful certificate acquisitions, and the date and time for the lastcertificate acquisition. Such information can aid a technicianparticularly when the trusted root or certificate authority for anentire market area/VHO has been changed and can aid in determinedwhether the migration to all the STBs in the entire market area wascompleted successfully. As an illustration, this can be done whendeploying a certificate authority to be used for iTV applications thatrequire secured personalized services on a per STB basis. Additionally,an option can be selected to provided detailed information pertaining tothe certificate acquisition. For example, the technicians 504 a-b canview certificate acquisition status information for each STB in themarket area.

The actual digital certificate can be received by the STB 508 of theuser 502 from the certificate authority 524. In an embodiment, thedigital certificate can be transmitted from the certificate authority,which received the request for the digital certificate from the STB, tothe RTTP 522. The RTTP 522 can then relay the certificate to the IPTVcustomer facing application servers 518. The IPTV customer facingapplication servers 518 can then transmit the certificate to the STB 508via the gateway 514. The user 502 can then view on an application screendisplayed on the display device 510 that the digital certificate wassuccessfully received. The STB 508 can transmit information stating thatthe digital certificate was successfully received to the RMS 526, whichcan maintain and store the information in its records. Now that thecertificate is successfully received at the STB 508 and at anapplication that the user 502 is trying to access, the user 502 and thean application can mutually authenticate each other. Once authenticated,the user 502 can be authorized to interact with an application.

FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative method 1200 that operates in portions ofthe communication systems of FIG. 1-2 and FIG. 5. Method 1200 can beginwith step 1202 in which a communications device can establish one ormore certificate acquisition settings associated with digitalcertificates. The communications device can be a STB, mobile device,personal computer, telephone, or other similar device capable ofestablishing acquisition settings. Additionally, the communicationsdevice can be configured to be in communication with an iTV network. Asmentioned above the certificate settings can include establishing atimeframe for receiving the certificate, a timeframe for generating arequest for acquiring the certificate, and a timeframe for retrying therequest for acquiring the certificate. Certificate settings can alsoinclude any other setting associated with retrieving the certificate oracquiring information regarding the certificate.

At step 1204, the communications device can transmit a request for adigital certificate based on the established certificate acquisitionsettings. The digital certificate can conform to the x.509 standard andcan be associated with an owner of an application. The request can berelayed to a certificate authority via a certificates proxy and anexternal certificate web service. Additionally, the communicationsdevice can transmit a request for status information associated with thedigital certificate to a server, such as RMS 130 at step 1206. Theserver/RMS 130 can receive various events from a plurality of sources atstep 1208. The events can be associated with and provide the statusinformation of the digital certificate. For example, an event canindicate a socket/connection failure, a malformed response, that thecertificate has been issued, that the certificate was successfullyacquired by the communications device, that the certificate is pending,that the certificate is expiring, that the certificate has been revoked,and that an acquisition of the certificate has failed.

At step 1210, the server/RMS 130 can transmit at least one of the statusinformation and the actual events to the communications device. Once thestatus information and/or actual events are received by thecommunications device, the communications device can present the statusinformation/events. The status information/events can be presented via aGUI, which can be associated with an iTV application that can beaccessed by the communications device. At step 1214, the communicationsdevice or other devices of the system 100 or 500 can determine whetherthe digital certificate was received at the communications device. Ifnot, the communications device can retransmit a request for the digitalcertificate. The request can be based on the certificate settings.

If the digital certificate was determined to be received by thecommunications device, the communications device can utilize thecertificate to securely and/or privately interact with an applicationassociated with the digital certificate at step 1216. Notably, prior toreceiving the certificate, the certificate can be signed by acertificate authority authorized to sign and validate the certificate.The certificate can be received from the certificate authority via aexternal certificate web service and a certificates proxy.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, in an embodiment, aservice provider associated with the user 502 can apply restrictions asto how the user 502 can alter or otherwise change the certificateacquisition settings. As an illustration, if the STB 508 associated withthe user 502 is meant to only receive a digital certificate once a year,the service provider can apply a restriction which prohibits the userfrom requesting multiple times during a particular year.

In one embodiment, the RMS 526 can be configured to serve up and displaythe various application screens provided in FIGS. 6-11. Additionally theRMS 526 can store all events and status information received from thevarious devices of system 500 for future use.

Other suitable modifications can be applied to the present disclosurewithout departing from the scope of the claims below. Accordingly, thereader is directed to the claims section for a fuller understanding ofthe breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 1300 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. In some embodiments, the machine operatesas a standalone device. In some embodiments, the machine may beconnected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 1300 may include a processor 1302 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 1304 and a static memory 1306, which communicate with each othervia a bus 1308. The computer system 1300 may further include a videodisplay unit 1310 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, asolid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system1300 may include an input device 1312 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursorcontrol device 1314 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 1316, a signalgeneration device 1318 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a networkinterface device 1320.

The disk drive unit 1316 may include a machine-readable medium 1322 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 1324)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 1324may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 1304, the static memory 1306, and/or within the processor 1302during execution thereof by the computer system 1300. The main memory1304 and the processor 1302 also may constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 1324, or that which receives and executes instructions 1324from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 1326 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 1326 using the instructions 1324. Theinstructions 1324 may further be transmitted or received over a network1326 via the network interface device 1320.

While the machine-readable medium 1322 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape;and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives is considered a distributionmedium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of amachine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

1. A set-top-box (STB), comprising a controller to: transmit a requestto a remote management server for status information associated with ax.509 certificate intended for the STB, wherein at least one of the STBand the remote management server operate in an interactive television(iTV) network; and receive the status information associated with thex.509 certificate from the remote management server, wherein one or moreevents associated with the status information are received by the remotemanagement server from at least one of the STB, a certificates proxy, anexternal certificate web service, and a certificate authority, andwherein the status information comprises at least a portion of thereceived events.
 2. The STB of claim 1, wherein the iTV networkcomprises at least one of internet protocol television (IPTV),interactive cable television, and interactive satellite television. 3.The STB of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to setcertificate acquisition settings associated with the x.509 certificate.4. The STB of claim 3, wherein the certificate acquisition settingscomprise at least one of a timeframe for receiving the certificate, atimeframe for generating a request for acquiring the certificate, and atimeframe for retrying the request for acquiring the certificate.
 5. TheSTB of claim 1, wherein at least one event of the events comprise atleast one of an indication of a socket/connection failure, an indicationof a malformed response, an indication that the certificate has beenissued, an indication that the certificate was successfully acquired bythe STB, an indication that the certificate is pending, an indicationthat the certificate is expiring, an indication that the certificate hasbeen revoked, and an indication that an acquisition of the certificatehas failed.
 6. The STB of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable totransmit a request for the x.509 certificate to the certificates proxy,wherein the request is transmitted by the certificates proxy to theexternal certificate web service, wherein the request is transmitted bythe external certificate web service to the certificate authority, andwherein the x.509 certificate is transmitted by the certificateauthority to the STB.
 7. The STB of claim 1, wherein at least one of thecontroller and the remote management server is operable to present thestatus information associated with the certificate in a graphical userinterface (GUI) associated with an iTV application.
 8. The STB of claim1, wherein the controller is operable to receive the request fortransmission to the remote management server from a remote controldevice in communication with the STB.
 9. A method, comprising: receivinga request from a computing device for status information associated witha digital certificate intended for the computing device, wherein thecomputing devices is in communication with an interactive television(iTV) network; receiving one or more events from at least one of acertificates proxy, an external certificate web service, a certificateauthority, and the computing device, wherein the status information isassociated with at least one of the received events; and transmittingthe status information associated with the digital certificate to thecomputing device in response to the request, wherein the statusinformation is presented at the computing device.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the iTV network comprises at least one of internetprotocol television (IPTV), interactive cable television, andinteractive satellite television.
 11. The method of claim 8, comprisingstoring at least one of the events and status information.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, comprising receiving certificate acquisition settingsassociated with the digital certificate, wherein the certificateacquisition settings comprise at least one of a timeframe for receivingthe certificate, a timeframe for generating a request for acquiring thecertificate, and a timeframe for retrying the request for acquiring thecertificate.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the digital certificatecomprises a digital certificate conforming to an x.509 standard.
 14. Themethod of claim 8, wherein at least one event of the received eventscomprises at least one of an indication of a socket/connection failure,an indication of a malformed response, an indication that thecertificate has been issued, an indication that the certificate wassuccessfully acquired by the computing device, an indication that thecertificate is pending, an indication that the certificate is expiring,an indication that the certificate has been revoked, and an indicationthat an acquisition of the certificate has failed.
 15. The method ofclaim 8, comprising receiving events associated with digitalcertificates associated with a plurality of other computing devices, andfurther comprising presenting status information associated with thereceived events of the plurality of other computing devices.
 16. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the computing device comprises at least oneof a set-top-box (STB), mobile device, personal computer (PC),telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), and a server.
 17. Acomputer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions to:establish certificate acquisition settings associated with a digitalcertificate intended for a computing device; transmit a request for thedigital certificate based on the certificate acquisition settings;transmit a request to a server for status information associated withacquisition of the digital certificate, wherein one or more eventsassociated with the status information are received by the server from aplurality of sources, and wherein the status information comprises atleast a portion of the received events; and receiving the statusinformation associated with acquisition of the digital certificate fromthe server.
 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17,comprising computer instructions to receive the digital certificatebased on the certificate acquisition settings.
 19. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 17, wherein the certificate acquisition settingscomprise at least one of a timeframe for receiving the certificate, atimeframe for generating a request for acquiring the certificate, and atimeframe for retrying the request for acquiring the certificate. 20.The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, comprising computerinstructions to present the status information in a graphical userinterface (GUI).